Staff Shortage in the Nursing industry

Staff Shortage in the Nursing industry

Overview

Nursing shortage is used in referring to a situation where the demand for nursing professionals, exceeds the supply either locally, nationally, or globally (Nevidjon & Erickson, 2021). Nursing shortage is usually measured in terms of nurse-to-patient ratio or the nurse-to-population ratio (Drennan & Ross 2019). The problem of nursing shortage should be studied because nurses are a critical part of the healthcare system, and the nursing sector make up the largest set of professionals in the entire medical field.

Causes of Nursing Shortage

According to AACN, the average age of the nursing workforce is 50 years old. Although this is not the usual retirement age, the advent of technologies (i.e., computerized charting, electronic health records, barcode medication administration) coupled with the increasing mental and physical demands required of nursing practice, influence nurses’ decision to retire early. than other professions. As the population ages, there is a corresponding increase in the occurrence of chronic illnesses and co-morbidities which require more healthcare services with a need for more nursing staff (Hunter, 2021).

A third factor that contributes to nursing shortage is the capacity of the pre-licensure nursing education. There is a direct connection between nursing shortage and nursing education. According to the AACN, nursing schools in the United States turned away approximately 80,000 qualified applicants due to an inadequate number of faculty, clinical sites, academic space, and budget (Drennan& Ross 2019). Another crucial contributor to nursing shortage is nurse burnout. With the increasing nursing shortage and the increase in the complexity of healthcare needs, nurses become overworked and exhausted physically and mentally. If the issue of nursing shortage is not addressed, nurses will continue to leave the profession due to burnout and the shortage will be further compounded.

Solutions for the Nursing Shortage

There are strategies and practices to alleviate the scourge of nursing shortage include the following: greater access to nursing education, strategic workplace accommodations and flexibility, lobbying and advocacy.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2021), “Student Enrollment Surged in U.S. Schools of Nursing in 2020 Despite Challenges Presented by the Pandemic,” April 1, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Press-Releases/View/ArticleId/24802/2020-survey-data-student-enrollment. Accessed October 6 2023.